So You Read SHADOWS A Year Ago

Posted by Ilsa Posted on August 11, 2013 74 Comments on So You Read SHADOWS A Year Ago

Need a quickie refresher before MONSTERS hits the shelves?  Then look no further.  Below you’ll find an ASHES TRILOGY full character list and super-dooper condensed version of who’s doing what at the end of SHADOWS.

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ASHES TRILOGY Cast of Characters

Alex Adair: living with her aunt in Illinois after her mom, an ER doc, and dad, a cop, died in a helicopter crash three years ago. Suckier still, Alex carries a monster in her head: an inoperable brain tumor that’s stolen her sense of smell and many of her memories, especially those of her parents. After two years of failed chemotherapy, radiation, and experimental regimens, Alex has decided to call the shots for a change. As the novel opens, Alex has run off on what might well be a one-way backpacking trek through the Waucamaw Wilderness in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. She intends to honor her parents’ last wishes and scatter their ashes from Mirror Point on Lake Superior. As it happens, she’s also got her dad’s service Glock, just in case she opts out of a return. After the Zap, Alex gets her sense of smell back in spades, a super-sense that also allows her to intuit emotions and, on one occasion, catch a glimmer of what goes on inside the mind of a wolf. Which is pretty funky. Much more to the point, like the dogs, she is able to detect the bloated roadkill stink of the Changed. Oh, and all of a sudden, every dog is her new best friend.

Ellie Cranford: sullen, uncooperative, a trifle whiny, a kid Alex has to keep herself from slapping silly. What can you say? The kid’s eight. Her dad’s KIA in Iraq, her mother split years back, and Ellie’s now being cared for by her grandfather, Jack, who might have the patience of a saint, but cut the kid a break. She hates camping, and it’s not like she hasn’t got good reason to be a little pissy anyway. Initially rescued by Alex and then Tom, Ellie is kidnapped by some very nasty adults who see her as a meal ticket.

Mina: Ellie’s dog, a Belgian Malinois, and formerly her dad’s MWD (military working dog). Mina also has the patience of a saint but packs a mean bite. The nasty adults take her, too.

Tom Eden: a young soldier and explosive ordinance specialist on leave from Afghanistan; a competent guy who complements Alex in a lot of ways. After Alex fends off a pack of wild dogs, Tom saves both Ellie and Alex by shooting his buddy, Jim, who’s gone through a major lifestyle change. Steady and calm, someone to whom Alex is instantly attracted, Tom also has a few secrets of his own. The biggest is just why he’s in the Waucamaw to begin with. After they leave the (relative) safety of the Waucamaw—we’re talking wild dogs, booby traps, and kids who’ve suddenly decided that people make excellent Happy Meals—Tom is shot while trying to prevent the nasty adults from stealing Ellie.

Chris Prentiss: the grandson of Reverend Yeager and Rule’s de facto second-in-command, though he grew up in another town. Dark and reserved, a bit of a brooder, Chris has an uncanny ability to find Spared, especially up north around Oren and its nearby Amish community. He falls for Alex in a big way after she comes to Rule. Despite her initial determination to escape, Alex eventually reciprocates his affection.

Peter Ernst: Rule’s overall commander, although he takes his marching orders from the Council of Five, representatives from Rule’s founding families who run the village. At twenty-four, Peter is the oldest Spared, and he’s fiercely protective of Chris. Peter has a thing going with Sarah, one of Alex’s housemates.

Sarah, Tori, and Lena: Alex’s housemates; all refugees to whom Rule offered sanctuary. Of the three, Sarah’s a tad bossy. Good-natured Tori alternately crushes on Greg (another Spared who is part of Chris’s squad) and Chris, and still makes a mean apple crisp. Taciturn, irreverent, and originally from that Amish community near Oren, Lena’s a girl with ’tude. Having manipulated Peter, Lena once tried to escape—only to be caught in the Zone, a no-man’s-land buffer zone through which those who are Banned (i.e., kicked out of Rule for various offenses) must travel in order to leave Rule’s sphere of influence.

Reverend Yeager: a descendant of one of Rule’s five founding families. Filthy rich from having run a very profitable mining company, Yeager heads the Council of Five. (The other Council members are Ernst, Stiemke, Prigge, and Born.) Before the Zap, Yeager was quietly dementing away in the Alzheimer’s wing of Rule’s hospice. After the Zap, however, Yeager was Awakened. Like Alex, he possesses a super-sense and can determine emotions and truthfulness through touch.

Jess: a tough cookie with a penchant for spouting Bible verses. Jess seems to have her own agenda when it comes to who should be making the decisions for Rule. She’s hot for Chris to stand up to his grandfather. For a variety of reasons—all of them very good—Chris is reluctant. Jess also makes no secret of encouraging Chris and Alex to become, well, a little closer.

Matt Kincaid (Doc): scruffy, pragmatic, sharper than a tack, and Rule’s only doctor. He is also an Awakened, though he has no super-sense. He is the only one who knows about Alex’s brain tumor as well as her super-sense of smell. Kincaid has suggested that the monster might be dead, dormant, or busy organizing into something entirely different.

Jed and Grace: an elderly couple from Wisconsin who’ve rescued and nursed Tom back to health.  A vet, Jed suffered brain damage that left him blind in one eye and a tad addled.  After the Zap, his vision returned as a super-sense.  Stricken with Alzheimer’s, Grace Awakened, recovering her extensive nursing knowledge as well as developing an uncanny facility with numbers.

Wolf: the nickname Alex has given to the leader of a band of Changed, who also just happens to be Chris’s identical twin (and of whose existence Chris is unaware).  Although Wolf seems by turns attached and attracted to Alex and protects her from ending up as a Happy Meal for the rest of his crew (Beretta, Acne, Slash, and Spider), Alex can’t decide if Wolf is only saving her for dessert.

Leopard: the leader of a rival group of Changed and Spider’s main squeeze.

Daniel: recruited along with his little brother, Jack, by Mellie.  Daniel leads a doomed raid to rescue Alex.  Spider murders Jack, who ends up as that evening’s main course.

Weller: one of Peter’s men, Weller is really working for Finn (see below).  Why he’s thrown in with the militia leader seems more to do with revenge against Peter for some past, unknown grievance than a beef with Rule.

Elias Finn: Vietnam vet and now leader of a secretive, long-established militia.  Several of his men have infiltrated Rule and captured Peter, but Finn seems more interested in whether the Changed can be tamed and, by subjecting Peter to endless life-or-death bouts, how quickly they can learn. Yet his long-term goals, as well as the reasons for his intense hatred for Rule, are unclear.

Davey: a Changed boy Finn is taming—and training.

Mellie: a grandmotherly sort, who’s gathering up and arming kids to march against Rule.

Luke and Cindi: part of Mellie’s band.  At fourteen, Luke is oldest and very attached to Tom.  The daughter of a child psychiatrist and the band’s lookout, Cindi major crushes on Tom.

 

Who’s Where and Doing What at the End of SHADOWS:

Alex: is caught in the collapse of the old Rule mine and falling down an escape shaft that is rapidly flooding.

Tom: is heartbroken and blames himself for Alex’s death.  When Luke and Cindi tell him that Mellie and Weller (injured in the mission to destroy the mine) plan to march on Rule soon, Tom admits that he’s afraid to go because his hatred for Chris, whom Weller said was responsible for turning Alex out of Rule, is so black and monstrous, he wants nothing more than to murder the other boy.

Chris: is unconscious, dying, and pinned beneath an iron-spiked tiger-trap outside Oren.

Peter: is still Finn’s prisoner.  Having killed numerous Changed in exchange for food and water—and, ironically, taught Changed like Davey the best way to fight—Peter is now faced with a choice: eat human flesh, or starve.

Lena: is fighting the urge to feed on Chris, whom she no longer truly recognizes.  Startled by the sudden appearance of a dog, she takes off only to find herself surrounded by a band of Changed that’s been shadowing her for days.

Wolf: had disappeared after being shot by Spider.  Just before she’s herded into the mine, however, Alex thinks she catches his scent with her super-sense.

Jess: is badly injured, comatose, and probably still in Rule under Kincaid’s care.

The Body Count: Jed, Grace, Daniel, Jack, Leopard, Beretta, Slash. Spider and Acne were presumably caught in the mine collapse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

74 thoughts on “So You Read SHADOWS A Year Ago”

  1. Thank you Ilsa for the update on the Ashes trilogy. I’ve been reading Shadows but having a hard time remembering correctly who the characters are.

    Thanks for the memory jog 🙂

  7. I can’t wait to read the last book in the trilogy! Can anyone just clear me up on what happened with Tom, Luke and Cindi, ’cause I can’t remember and can’t seem to find any summaries that clear it up! Also, was Lena changing or am I making that up? 🙂

  8. Hey there, glad you like the books! As for your questions, go back and read the summary of SHADOWS in the main page. That had all the answers you’re looking for under the section about where people are at the end. Enjoy MONSTERS 🙂

  9. So bought Monsters the second it came out (obviously) and been struggling if i should re-read Shadows…. Hmmmm stupid new job….. Finally have time to sit down and read but have to work tomorrow, think my students would notice if i had the book hiding behind my lesson plan book so ai could read durin class? Hmmm I shall keep u posted on how that goes haha

  11. im seperating he chapters that focus on different characters, so ill have an edition of Shadow’s for Tom, one for Alex, and one for each other focus. ill send the o you when im done!^_^

  12. Oh my god, you KILLED me with that ending. Seriously I just sat in front of the book staring at the last page for like thirty minutes. Why can’t they just have a perfect, wrapped-up-with-a-bow ending? How am I supposed to know what happened for sure?!?!!?

    I am in such a love-hate relationship with Monsters right now.

  13. Thanks so much for this refresher! I started reading monsters and was so lost…. What would I do without this lol!

  14. Thanks so much for this refresher! I started reading monsters and was so lost…. What would I do without you!

  16. What is Ellie! I’ve gotten thru quite a bit and I have to say its one of the best series I have ever read,I just want Tom and Ellie to be safe though. I knew Ellie and Mina were kidnapped by Harlin in Ashes and left for dead…Is she ok? I really need to know

  18. Stayed up past midnight finishing Shadows. One of the sweetest treats in the book for me was the setting! I can see Lambeau from my window and it was so great hearing all the Wisconsin towns and places! 😀

  20. Just finished Monsters… We all have our ashes, our shadows, and most definitely our monsters. Thanks for painting them with such excruciating & loving care 🙂 Had to put it down half way thru and take a breather, but also wanted to say that while I’m a major Stephen King and Justin Cronin serial fan – I don’t think I’ve ever been more impressed and more moved. WOW. Intense, painful, and then ‘Alex wailed. The sound was a keening…’ I think I literally FELT that ‘swooping crescendo’ and it meant the world to me – cried when I tried to describe it to someone who fully inhabits my world. The only thing I loved more than that moment was ‘Jump, Wolf.’ Not even sure what I wanted to happen, just felt completely whole again. Sometimes I feel like a nut. Thank you ever so much for this telling of stories. All of them 🙂 Love ya, Lady!

  25. OMG…are you the real author!! I have only read the first and most if second so far. Absolutely amazing books! Can’t wait to read them all.
    Up to the part lena stops talking and forgets who chris is…I thought she was pregnant but is she really becoming a changed/zombie?!?!?! Oooo

  29. I read only the Ashes because a further parts are not translated so only through the website know what’s going on. Thank you very much for that. Ashes is a fantastic book.

  31. AWESOME! I finally got my hand on Monsters, and wanted a recap of Shadows, since i read when it JUST came out and have been waiting for Monsters since then. I wanted to re-read Shadows again, but because of the recent move, all my books are packed, and buried somewhere by my mother (-_-). This is a life saver! 😀 Thanks! Awesome Trilogy! ♡♡

  33. Have read all three books, and am re-reading to catch the story a little better. Also have read entire S.M. Stirling “Change” series over the last year, and many of his others. Love this stuff. Any other recommendations for similar genre?
    Anything new from you?
    Thanks, Roger Hartsell

  34. Oh, how nice! I hope you enjoy the books on the re-read. As for recommendations, nope, haven’t got any. I usually don’t recommend because everyone’s taste is so different.
    As far as new stuff from me, just take a look at the right sidebar on my website. You’ll see all my books as well as my latest, WHITE SPACE. Its sequel, THE DICKENS MIRROR, is due out next March.

  37. Oh my gosh! I’m so excited! About to start the first page… could not be more excited! 😀 I absolutely love this series! And ILSA! I have to say… The best book I have ever read… (And there’s been a lot!)… would have to be your, ‘Drowning Instinct’. Honestly I can not express in words how much I love that book! I’ve read it possibly seven or eight times. You are a brilliant writer. I love you! Thank you so much for becoming a writer! hahaa
    Katie 🙂 xo

  39. My son is writing a book report on this book and says he can’t find a time reference in it. Is there one?

  40. Time reference as in . . . what year? It’s a contemporary, and I deliberately didn’t give a year. So it’s just “present day.” I hope that helps 🙂

  41. I’m on the start of shadows and freaking the heck out. Doesn’t help that the library doesn’t have monsters. UHHHHHHHHGH

  42. LOL!! Relax; you’ve got about 500 pages to convince your library to get the bloody book ;-). If there’s a problem…let me know. I’m serious. I’d donate a book to your library if it would help.

  43. OMG! Thank you so much for writing these book series. It’s been a change in life for me and you’re an inspiration. I’ve been waiting for Monsters and forgot some of the characters, so thank you so much for taking your time to do this.

  47. Ok so I am a 40 year old mother of three…two in high school, home since yesterday from a week stay at the hospital (bad case of flu exacerbated by severe asthma). Anyways, home on bed rest, bored out of my skull, cell phone almost dead, I ask my 17yo if she has any new books to read she may have recently checked out from her school library. I’m an avid reader, total King fan, but read all I own at least twice and after the first time years ago I asked her desperately for something to read during a power outage and since found many a YA trilogy or series of books that have simply blown me away (i.e. Twilight Series, Hunger Games series, Divergent, even Percy and the Olympians). It’s fair to say I’m a true fan of the teenage hero ideology. Not one to admit I am a zombie book fan last night when she handed me Ashes I was skeptical to say the least! Well, I picked up Ashes at a little past 10pm EST and finished the ENTIRE book by 4am! I could not put it down and am at a loss waiting for my kids Christmas vacation to end on Jan. 5th just so she can check out Shadows for dead old mom! Kudos to you Miss Bick…you kept me gripped to those pages from beginning to end, leaving me hungry for more! And I for one am not afraid to tell the world at 40 of my new found YA book treasure! Losing yourself in the pages of a book is no easy feat these days, as almost anyone can write and publish what they want! To find literary gold by chance like this has left me with hope and newfound confidence that I can still find new authors that know how to tell a story without always having to wait for something new from my oldies but goodies (Though King & Saul, etc. never disappoint). New & fresh are most welcome! Thank you for Ashes.
    Love, a new (old) fan 😉

  48. Well, that is such a compliment! Thank you! I’m so glad you enjoyed the book, and I hope you like the rest of the trilogy as well. I’ve always thought the distinction between genre categories is kind of silly. I mean, if you like the story…you like the story, and who cares about the target audience?

  49. In love with Ashes. As an interesting question, if you ever were to have a movie shot based on the trilogy, would you want to be able to pick the actors entirely yourself? And would you rather hire well-known professional actors, or open up opportunities for new, budding actors and actresses? P.S. I would totally be up for Alex, and either way am so waiting for these movies 😀

  50. So glad to hear that! Heck, I’d just be thrilled that anyone would want to make movies out of my books. Sure, it’d be great if someone asked my opinion, but my feeling is that’s what casting directors are for 😉 I’d open it up to everybody, but a big name here and there wouldn’t be bad either!

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